


Haven

by SaraJaye



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Developing Relationship, Families of Choice, Fluff, Holiday Discussions, Introspection, Keith as the Holts' foster kid, M/M, Pre-Kerberos Mission, Pre-Slash, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, movies - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 10:14:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16595921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: Matt is a quiet place, a soft blanket, a warm feeling he's craved for so long and never thought he'd have.





	Haven

The Holts are his family now, and he loves all of them dearly. Colleen for her kind but fiery nature, Sam for his patience, Katie for her enthusiasm, Gunther for his quirky nature. He helps Colleen and Sam with the dishes, he's learning to cook so he can help prepare dinner on busy nights. He scares off the kids who give Katie a bad time, does homework with her.

But as much as he loves them, it's always Matt his train of thought comes back to.

It was Matt who reached out to him when nobody else wanted him around that day. Matt who made sure he was a regular guest at their house, had someone to sit with at lunch, helped him raise his grades so the Garrison would have less of a reason to think him a hopeless case with talent he didn't deserve. Matt who held him and let him cry when he woke up from a nightmare, had a bad day, or was just overwhelmed by his own feelings. Shared his bed, making the need for a bunk or a cot useless when Keith officially moved in with them.

Keith hasn't felt this deeply for anyone other than Shiro, the _very_ first one who reached out to him after his dad died. Shiro still means the world to him, of course, but when he thinks of a brother Shiro's the first person who comes to mind.

Matt's so much _more._

Matt is a warm, quiet place when he needs to unleash his pent-up feelings, a soft snuggly blanket on cold nights, a listening ear, someone who lets Keith protect and care for him when he needs it. Star Wars and popcorn, hot chocolate, grocery shopping, dreams of the future when they make it to space and discover aliens for the first time, adventures and quests.

Even something as simple as walking home from the movies, leaves crunching under their feet, the wind rustling their hair, feels so _monumental_ with Matt.

"I can't believe November's half-over already," he sighs. "Almost time for Christmas shopping."

"I'm waiting until December," Matt says, smiling ruefully. "I'm terrible at it, I never know what to get anyone." A problem Keith is more able to relate to now that he's got more people than Shiro in his life. What does he give the people who gave him his first real home in years? Sure, he knows what they like, but it has to be special. Meaningful, something he can safely say he put his whole heart into picking out.

"I'm just glad the stores haven't tried to phase out Thanksgiving yet," Matt continues. "Mom's already going through her recipe file. She's even more excited this year since it's gonna be your first with us." He winks. "No more frozen Swanson turkey dinners for you!"

"The fried chicken dinners were the only good ones, anyway." Keith's orphanage always tried to do their best for the children on holidays, but funds could get tight with so many children. Keith still has an affection for the cheap canned and frozen foods, especially Campbell's soup, but Colleen's homemade, effort-filled meals make him realize how much he's missed out on all these years.

(He adores Shiro, he really does, but he could only take so much instant ramen or so many ham and cheese sandwiches.)

It's so much colder by the time they get home, and the sky's getting darker. Keith can smell meatloaf baking in the oven, tomato sauce, various spices. Gunther barks as he watches them through the window, and Katie's bombarding them at the door asking how the new Star Trek movie was.

"Pretty good," Keith says. He and Matt hang their coats and scarves in the closet, leave their shoes at the door, and settle onto the couch. Matt's arm wraps around him, and Keith leans happily into the embrace. It's their default mode half the time.

"Yeah, I liked it. It wasn't the _best_ , but it wasn't as bad as people kept saying it was," Matt adds. "The best part was having the theater pretty much all to ourselves, though, so no one could yell at us for talking half the time."

"Or throwing popcorn at the screen when Krall showed up," Keith laughs. He liked it more than the 2009 movie, at least. Katie leaps onto the couch with them, curling up at Keith's other side, and Gunther lies down across their laps.

It's another half hour till dinner's ready, so Keith clicks on the TV and finds a channel with his favorite sitcoms. Growing up, watching the Tanners or the Taylors or even the Bankses made him wistful, because he knew Dad wished Mom was still around so they could have that kind of a family.

_I've got that now, Dad,_ he thinks as he watches an exchange between Jill and Brad. _They're taking good care of me, so you can rest. I'm gonna be fine._

His eyes catch Matt's, and the warm feeling within him spreads to his fingers and the tips of his toes.

Matt Holt is special to him in a way he can't even define or describe, and he never wants to let go of this feeling as long as he lives.


End file.
